This invention concerns a device useful in removing water from flat hard-surfaced ground areas such as tennis courts, and more particularly relates to a device adapted for manually propelled rolling traversal of a paved substantially flat ground surface to effect removal of water therefrom.
Outdoor playing surfaces such as tennis courts, basketball courts, shuffleboard courts, volleyball courts, and the like are frequently paved with asphalt, concrete or other materials to form a substantially flat, hard, double surface. Despite the best efforts of construction, perfect flatness is rarely achieved. Consequently, rainfall causes pools of water to collect upon the playing surface.
The various types of apparatus earlier disclosed for removing water from hard-surfaced areas involve principles such as: (1) pushing the water off the playing area using squeegee-type appliances, (2) collecting the water for disposition at a remote site, and (3) spreading the pools of water into thin layers amenable to rapid evaporation. Devices of the collecting type generally utilize a sponge-like absorbent or a vacuum effect to lift the water off the surface and transport it to a confining receptacle for subsequent disposal.
The collecting-type devices of the prior art are however generally designed to operate in one direction of traversal across the playing surface, thereby necessitating a turning maneuver at the end of each traversal of the playing surface. The turning maneuver is not only time-consuming, but causes abrasive degradation of the absorbent material riding in contact with the playing surface. Such devices also utilize confining receptacles which tend to lose water due to wave motion therein caused by rapid movement and directional changes of the water-collecting apparatus. The emptying of the receptacle in certain designs of water-collecting device is made difficult by poor accessibility of drain means.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a water-collecting device adapted to be manually propelled in rolling motion across a hard-surfaced ground area to remove water therefrom.
It is another object of this invention to provide a device as in the foregoing object which collects water in a receptacle for facile disposal, and also distributes water upon said ground area for enhanced evaporation.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a device of the aforesaid nature capable of being operatively propelled in forward and backward directions.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a device of the aforesaid nature of light weight having a large water-holding capacity, and of compact design for ease of storage.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a device of the aforesaid nature of simple and rugged construction which may be economically manufactured.
These objects and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.